Free Rise of the Dark Sun (The Blood Lust Plague Trilogy Book 1) by Kendall Pearce

choice.”
    “Hey! Um, not to interrupt, but what don’t we have a choice about? The Quencher would like to know what you guys are looking at each other like that for,” Samantha said, passing a concerned glance of consternation between the vampires.
    Micah sighed, “It’s the Vampire Government. They came looking for you last night.”
    Samantha’s eyes got wide, but Constance put a hand on her shoulder to calm her . “We were alarmed as well, but now it seems that they would like to sponsor your trip to Europe. They sent you money and everything.”
    Samantha peered at Constance, “What? Why?”
    “I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Micah growled, remembering the sneaky way in which the Vampire Government official conducted himself the night before, and distrusting their motives. If they wanted to award Samantha a trip to Europe, why not be more forthcoming? Micah thought.
    “I can’t say I don’t agree, but really, what choice do we have?” Constance replied.
    Micah moved protectively over to Samantha.
    “Well, they found me once . If we do not comply, it would at the very least upset them.
    “But we’re going with you, right Constance?” Micah asked.
    Constance nodded. “Of course.”
     
    So the next day, Samantha met her parents at the airport. Immediately, they noticed their daughter’s paleness. “Honey, are you okay? You look sick,” Samantha’s mother said after their initial embrace.
    Smiling, Samantha said, “I’m fine, mom. I just haven’t been eating all that well. On vacation, you know. I had a lot of junk food.”
    Samantha’s mother shook her head. “No, dear. I think something is seriously wrong. You look anemic. Are you sure you shouldn’t hold off on this trip, just for a little while? Just until you regain your strength?”
    Samantha clasped her mother’s hand and replied warmly, “Mom, I couldn’t be more excited for this trip. I am fine. If I wasn’t, you know I would not go.”
    Smiling in forced agreement, her mother squeezed her hand. “Alright, well just be careful, my baby, and learn a lot!”
    “We are very proud of the woman you have become,” Samantha’s father said as she embraced him.
    “I love you both! I will call as often as I can,” Samantha said with tears coming to her eyes. It was not that she was having doubts about her trip, but in this moment, she felt as though her parents were truly supporting her cause. She felt at peace and at home with them, and after everything that had happened she wished she had gone home to be with them a little longer before she had to go.
    “We love you too,” Samantha’s mother replied.
    The final boarding call came and Samantha knew that this was it. So, again, she hugged and kissed her parents, and then she made her way down the ramp and onto the plane.
    As Samantha took her seat, a mix of emotions swirled around inside of her. Somehow, she felt strangely at peace, excited almost to the point of combustion, eager and downright scared. Although she knew that Micah and Constance would be there waiting for her when she arrived, Samantha feared the time she would be without them.
    Although she knew in her heart she had no choice but to take the Vampire Government’s offer, like Micah, she felt ill-at-ease with the whole idea. Without the vampires, it is true that Samantha would probably receive much better, more reliable, first-hand information and accounts, but at what cost? Samantha was not sure, and she feared what it was going to take to find out.
    However, at the moment, she felt faint, tired and overwhelmed. Samantha concluded that a nice nap to help her pass the time would be just what was needed to calm her nerves and swipe away the cobwebs she felt growing and attaching to the forefront of her mind, causing her thoughts to be fuzzy and inconsistent. So, at least, thanks to her Vampire Government upgrade, if this was going to be her last plane ride, at least she would have experienced the ease and